


Love in Leotards

by DarkMindVagabond



Category: Incredibles (Pixar Movies)
Genre: 1960s, Basically the College AU that no one asked for, Bonding, F/F, F/M, Hey your house burned down?, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Jazz References, Move in with me, Music major, Stolen Moments, Trans Character, TransVoyd, Unfinished Tags, Useless Lesbians, disaster lesbian, photography major, snake named fluffy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-04 11:34:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17303864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkMindVagabond/pseuds/DarkMindVagabond
Summary: When her home is burnt to the ground, Jeanne Hathaway is saved by a teal-clad superhero who not only risked her life, but is now risking her very identity to keep her safe and off of the streets. The lonely Art/Photography major will soon find more of herself in the Music Major than she ever thought she could.





	1. In Which Fire Escapes are Useless

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so it's totally obvious that Voyd is a lesbian. And the whole plot of this story is that she moved closer to the Parrs so she could work with Elastigirl and Mr. Incredible and they can teach her to be a superhero. There's a few plotholes right now but it's a work in progress, right? I have a lot of time to flesh it out. So previous chapters may change over time, nothing is set in stone!

**Time: 03:28 Hours. Location: Metroville.**

On the 6th floor of Avail Hotel, there could be soft Jazz music heard through the entire floor. Only two others inhabited the floor and at the moment, both were vacant. The only resident on the 6th floor was currently playing Charles Mingus and the lights in the apartment were at a soft brightness, the wattage of the bulbs taken down a substantial amount, to a comfortable 75 wattage.

Several candles burned on the table in the middle of the apartment and several suitcases were piled near the balcony doors, along with 3 boxes labeled “Documents”, “Art Supplies”, and “Photos”. In the middle of the apartment resided a female, no more than in her mid-twenties, her long, curly blonde hair tied back in a tight ponytail with several butterfly barrettes keeping her bangs from her field of view.

A slightly dull charcoal dusted across a rough surfaced piece of parchment in a large sketchbook. On the paper was a realistic sketch of a crow perched on a dead tree branch, the charcoal blending together around the feathers of the wings and the eyes a darker shade than the background to make them stand out even harsher.

Her slender hands moved with precision over the paper, gripping the charcoal pencil in her fingers and every once in a while, pulling her hand back to smudge at the recent strokes of the dark substance.

As the music soothed her inner creativity, she knew that this was definitely a piece that she would happily hand to her professor tomorrow, a week before it's due date. Which gives her plenty of time to work on her Photography project.

With a few finishing strokes of the graphite, she carefully replaced the smudgy art tool with a fine tip art pen and carefully signed her name at the bottom of the page in dark blue ink.

“Jeanne Hathaway, 10/23.” She proudly lifted the paper up in the light to see it better and gently set it down on the table next to the candles, leaning down and carefully blowing them out, the smell of smoke rising up into the air and hitting her nostrils.

With a smile that showed pure pride, Jeanne pulled her hair free of it's ponytail and removed the barrettes in her hair, setting the tie and clips on the table before slumping into the pull-out couch in the middle of the room after switching the lights off. As the bright moon cast shadows all over the room, Jeanne took a moment to reflect on the morning ahead of her.

Go to the coffee shop, fill up on her usual iced caramel macchiato, head to the studio for extra time on her painting, take shots in the park for the exoneration service, turn in the piece for Professor Sparks, finish her Chemistry homework, head back home.

Jeanne always had a plan set in motion.

As the night got darker, Jeanne drifted to sleep almost seconds after laying down, and everything was right with the world... Or so she thought.

The loose latch on her balcony window slowly unlatched and blew open, and the still burning ember of the long candlestick wick was blown off the burnt string. The ember fell onto the paper of drenched charcoal. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem. The ember would extinguish itself... But for some reason, the ember began to glow even brighter until it burnt a hole straight through the paper and with the soft breeze, it was enough to fan a flame to life.

With her sleeping medication taken full effect, Jeanne heard nothing, nor smelt nothing unusual in the air. So when the fire spread from the paper to the rotting wooden table and further, she didn't notice.

It wasn't until she felt a sharp pain in her hand that she finally awoke, only to find her entire apartment in flames.

The pain in her hand was the fire slowly burning the blankets on her body, Without a second thought, she tossed the cheap polyester to the ground and leaped up in the air, gasping in fear. But a bad move on her behalf; the gasp of fear filled her lungs with a dangerous level of smoke.

Jeanne began to violently cough and her hand went to her chest as she fanned at the air with her other hand, trying to clear her way through the smoke. But between the carbon monoxide and her sleeping narcotic still in full effect, all she could manage was to wobble slowly towards her balcony door and she immediately collapsed against the cool metal of the fire escape.

It wasn't long before the authorities arrived.

In light of the authorities, a small group of individuals in very colorful outfits showed up as well.

The superheros of Metroville, as they were now identified. Among the collection of Supers in the crowd, which consisted of the very well known Mr. Incredible, Frozone, and Elastigirl, a new one joined them as well. 

She was a slender woman with a slightly masculine face with bright, electrifying green hair and a suit to match, a large “V” sitting on the front of her suit with a bright green oval in the center, to represent what she prefers to be called; Voyd.

As the firefighters set up the hose with the fire hydrant, the supers attempted to reach all the residents in time to clear them out safely before the building possibly collapsed.

While Frozone attempted to contain the flames with his ice, Voyd stood there, waiting for her next orders. But it seemed that everyone was busy with their own task that she needed to find what to do herself.

As she began to examine the building to the best of her abilities, she looked up just as something floated by her vision. It was a photograph of a swallowtail butterfly and the edges of the beautiful image were singed off.

Voyd looked up from where she saw the photo fall from and she could faintly make out a hand from the 6th floor fire escape.

Acting purely on instinct, Voyd created a wormhole in front of her that she was able to easily pass through and ended up in front of the balcony door inside of the blazing apartment. When she looked down, she saw the unconscious woman on the floor and her whole mood darkened with fear, scared that the female could possibly be dead.

With careful, shaking hands, Voyd gently gripped the woman's shoulders and pulled her back, not having nearly enough leg strength to lift the full grown woman in her grasp.

Releasing one of Jeanne's shoulders from her grasp, Voyd created a wormhole behind herself and dragged the unconscious woman through it as she was now back on the streets, the blonde completely unresponsive on the pavement in front of her.

Voyd honestly didn't know what to do and without anybody else nearby to help, she had to rely on basic knowledge.

Removing the glove from her hand, she carefully pressed two slender fingers against the woman's neck as her face was turned away from her and after a few seconds, a sigh of relief bubbled from Voyd's chest; she was alive.

Her breathing was very faint, and her heartbeat was weak, but she was alive. Crouching down on her knees, Voyd carefully grabbed the woman by her shoulders and lifted her up onto her thighs and turned her around to see if the fire had scorched her or injured her in any way.

But what she saw, she was not expecting.

The girl in front of her was just... beautiful, in Voyd's opinion. Her face was dusted with freckles all over and a small smudge of black streaked down her cheek, either from the fire, or from something else entirely. Her long eyelashes pressed against her face as her eyes remained shut, her soft rose colored lips slightly parted to reveal bright white teeth with a slight gap in between her two front teeth.

Upon her neck was a simple chain with a golden “J” hanging from the silver clasp. As Voyd gazed at the woman in her grasp, her vision trailed down to her body (assessing for injuries, thank you very much.) and she took notice of the strange discoloration in her right hand.

After Voyd snapped out of whatever daze she was in, she grabbed her forearm in her own ungloved hand and noticed the burns running all over her skin, her baggy purple sweater sleeve singed around the cuff.

“Oh, no...” It looked like everybody that was retrieved from the building were all alive and safe, and conscious. No one was above the 6th floor on this apartment complex. Everybody had a safe, and convenient exit strategy... Everybody except for the blonde in Voyd's arms.

It wasn't until minutes had passed by that someone finally took notice of her. Mr. Incredible slid across the pavement on his knees to the unconscious woman and where Voyd held her.

“What happened?”

“S-She was on the 6th floor... She's b-barely breathing! We need the paramedics! Fast!” Voyd attempted to lift her up on her own but her strength just wasn't enough. So the strength of Mr. Incredible was put to good use and he lifted the woman into his grasp as if she weighed nothing.

Voyd jumped up and followed him close by as they ran to where an emergency ambulance resided.

“Move! Everyone out of the way!” He shouted as he tore forward through the crowd of random pedestrians and told the Paramedics what was happening. As the first respondents began to take her vitals as best they could, they placed her on a stretcher and lifted it into the ambulance.

Voyd immediately forgot about the mission at hand and attempted to climb into the ambulance with them.

“Voyd! Stay focused! The building may collapse!” Mr. Incredible shouted as he lifted the woman up and turned her back around to focus on the mayhem currently at hand.

But a sudden rapid beeping tore her eyes back in the direction of the blonde on the stretcher in the ambulance and the respondents began to panic.

“We're losing her! Crash cart, start charging to 200!” The doors to the ambulance slammed shut and Voyd could only stand her as they drove off, sirens blaring at the loudest volume and the sudden kick up of dirt and the breeze made Voyd's hair wave in the air.

 


	2. Adorably Awkward

**Time: 11:48. Location: Metroville (Metroville Memorial)**

The soft beeping of the heart monitor slowly pulled her out of whatever deep sleep she was in. Jeanne blinked several times and her eyes slowly adjusted to where she was and her heart raced immediately. She was in a hospital, and there was an IV in her arm, wires on her chest, and her right hand was bandaged up meticulously.

Carefully glancing around the room that was lit with the soft glow of the sunlight, her eyes landed on the clothes she remembers wearing the night of the fire.

Her eyes trailed over the room and she nearly jumped off the bed after she saw someone who she has never met laying on the couch on the other side of the room. All she could see was a turquoise leotard, black boots, and bright teal hair that fell down over the side of the small couch. A soft snoring sound could be heard and Jeanne squinted in attempt to try and see if she recognized this person, this... Super that was in her hospital room.

But then, a memory struck her. The day that an attack on the city up north took place and Supers were under deep control by the ScreenSlaver. This was one of them that saved the day... This Super was going to be at the exoneration.

Jeanne squinted again but immediately squeaked in pain and jerked forward, a spike of pain shooting up her spine and in the back of her skull.

The noise was apparently loud enough to wake the sleeping soul on the couch. The super jerked upward and with the very un-smooth motion, knocked herself off the couch and down onto the floor with a loud thud. Teal hair stuck up a little from the slight wetness, due to her drooling in her sleep.

Voyd immediately recognized how dumb she looked and leaped back up to her feet, attempting to smooth out her hair and coughing nervously.

“H-Hi, I-I-I'm glad you're awake...” She stuttered with her large, bright white teeth showing a nervous smile. Jeanne responded by rubbing the back of her skull with her still undamaged left hand.

“D-Do you know which hospital this is?”

“Metroville Memorial. You're pretty close to your apartment. Well, what's left of it anyway.” Voyd giggled nervously as her face turned a deep pink that went unnoticed on Jeanne's behalf.

The seconds seemed like full hours to Voyd. She didn't want to push any harder but she needed answers from her; that was why she was still here. The police wanted her to find out how the fire started.

“Ma'am... I know th-that this is probably hard for you but... I need to ask you a few questions...” Voyd noticed her whole demeanor change and she slowly sat up, pushing down on the bed with her left hand to raise herself.

“Okay... I'll answer anything I can.”

“How did the fire start?”

“Um... I...I think...” Jeanne slowly rubbed at the front of her head and flinched a little when she felt a bruise on her temple.

Then it struck her. “It was me... I... I started the fire... but it was an accident! I swear! I just... Just finished my art project and blew out the candles... I thought I latched the balcony door closed... But when I woke up... My apartment was on fire... I'm sorry... I didn't...”

Jeanne immediately began to tear up at the thought of putting others lives in danger and her heart rate began to rise quickly. Voyd let out an audible gasp and noticed her heart rate raised to 120 beats per minute and with a shaky touch, she placed her gloved hand on top of the blonde's and stroked her thumb over the back of her skin.

“Hey... It's okay. Nobody was hurt... Except you.” She said it like the words weighed 20 pounds and looked down at the floor, the asymmetrical cut of her hair obscuring her eye.

“W-well... As long as it was just me... Oh no, my projects! All my photos...” Then the tears fell. All of her work had most likely burnt up with the apartment.

Voyd seemed to have a nervous and shy look on her face as she reached behind her on the table next to Jeanne, her gloved fingers tracing the glossy figure on it's surface.

“I... I don't know if... if it helps but... I found this... I'm pretty sure it's yours?” Jeanne reached out with her bandaged hand and carefully grasped the photograph of the swallowtail butterfly and a smile curled up her lips.

“Heh... It is... freshman year... I got a B minus,” She giggled weakly as a tear streaked down her cheek and gently rested the photo on her lap. “Just... I can't believe it's all gone...”

Voyd stood there and reached for her forearm, looking down at her small feet in worry. It was a lot to process; her whole life went up in smoke and she didn't even know how to test the waters, or even decide whether or not swimming was the best option at the moment.

“I know this must be hard... I mean... I think anyway... It-It's never happened to me.” Voyd offered her a large toothed smile which Jeanne returned with a high pitched giggle.

“I suppose you'll need my name... Jeanne. Jeanne Hathaway. Not that it matters, I have no insurance...”

Those were not good words. Without any insurance, she will be put under collection. Which is something nobody wants to be in.

Voyd's thoughts were cut short when the door opened. She turned around to see several police officers and she took a step to the side as they began to talk to Jeanne about the incident.

“H-How did I get out of there? I was on the sixth floor.” Jeanne looked at the cops who were totally silent and exchanged looks of confusion.

It wasn't until Voyd spoke up that they finally got an answer. Her hand went up in the air and she gave a nervous grin.

“Th-That was me. I, uh... used my power to save you.” There was a sense of pride in her voice that seemed to radiate off of her. Like she's never said those words before. Her eyes sparkled as they landed on Jeanne and she had a look of slight confusion but mostly adoration for the Super in her presence.

After Jeanne gave the police her statement, they left the room and Voyd continued to stand there, feeling like a scared teenager in the shadow of a fragile kitten.

Jeanne broke out of her mile long stare and looked up at Voyd who grinned nervously, rubbing at the back of her neck, her teal hair moving in time with her touch.

“So... What's my hero's name?” The question took the super by surprise and she blushed a deep crimson and began to stutter like crazy.

“Um... M-my name is Kar- uh, I mean!” She covered her magenta lips and gave a low whine of agony at her almost identity reveal. “Voyd. My name is Voyd...”

“Well,Voyd... Thank you for saving my life. I..If I wasn't weighed down like this, I'd treat you to a coffee but... Kinda attached to... many things.” Jeanne took notice of the heart monitor, the IV, the pulse monitor, and the oxygen tube around her nose.

Jeanne carefully lifted up her injured hand and brushed her long curly bangs out of her face, cringing at the oily feeling of not washing it in who only knows how long. After getting her hair out of her field of vision, she looked up at the television and what she saw was not something she wanted to see.

With a shaky hand, she quickly grasped the remote and turned up the volume, “...After the high proceeds of the exoneration ceremony in Grand Park, the winner of the “Everyday Heroes” contest, Julia Trayyee, announces in her acceptance speech that all donations going to her piece will be put to good use to better the city and the lives of every citizen in Metroville.”

“Julia won? Are you kidding me?” Jeanne gave a look of pure disgust and immediately changed the channel to whatever was playing next, which just happened to be a cute baking show, which she could easily calm down with. Turning down the volume, she put the remote back down and gripped the photo in her hand, practically seething as she stared at the butterfly in the glossy paper.

“Wh-Who's Julia?” Voyd stuttered nervously, clearly not liking that Jeanne was so upset.

“Some pompous brat who only wants the money from the reward to better her own life, not others... Guess I'll have to write that letter after all.” A look of pure defeat crossed Jeanne's features and she flopped backwards on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. “Ugh... What a day.”

“I um... I can... I can leave if you want to be alone right now-”

“No. I kind of like the company... As long as your not busy, you can leave if you have better things to do, miss Super Voyd.” Jeanne smiled at Voyd who blushed in response but shook her head immediately, grabbing the stool that the doctors normally sit on and sat down next to the bed.

The time passed quickly after that. Jeanne answered all of Voyd's questions, and she asked a lot of them. It was cute to see someone who had immense powers and possibly so many better things to do with her time than to humor some random person in the hospital.

Every so often, Voyd would answer one of her questions but then it would immediately go back to focs around Jeanne.

“So what was the Everyday Heroes contest?”

Jeanne flinched a little at the question but it wasn't that hard of a question to answer. She cleared her throat and forced a smile.

“It's a national competition where the applicants submit photos of superheroes to show that they are the forces of good in this world. And the winner wins a scholarship to Hartford Institution of the Arts... It's one of the best art schools out there. And a $100,000 prize, along with a place in the art gallery for years to come...”

“Oh, I've always wanted to go to Hartford! They have an amazing musical program there...” Voyd got lost in her own thoughts and Jeanne looked down at her hands as they began to make the motions of pressing into guitar frets.

“Looks like Trayyee is gonna get there first... As usual. But hey, all water under the bridge, right?” Jeanne shrugged a little as Voyd gave a little giggle in response at how hard Jeanne was trying to be positive even in the face of misery; it was inspiring.

Voyd was soon pulled out of her trance though when the door opened and a doctor walked in holding her chart in his hands. His heavy rimmed glasses glinted in the light of the sun and he had a genuine smile on his face.

“Well, look who's awake! How are we feeling today, miss Hathaway?”

Jeanne smiled and flexed her left hand a little. “Not too bad. But can I have some water? Throat's a little dry...”

“I'll get it!” Voyd immediately jumped up and walked out of the door before the doctor could even respond. A chuckle erupted from his throat at how enthusiastic the girl was to get water for Jeanne.

“Looks like you made a friend. And a Super friend at that!” The doctor looked at her heart rate and carefully inspected her bandaged hand, his fingers gently pressing into her forearm near the inside of her wrist and she gave a soft hiss of pain.

Voyd returned as fast as she could with a cloudy plastic cup and a little bendy straw just for Jeanne who accepted it, sipping the water from the straw like she hasn't had anything to drink in months. After she felt like her throat was no longer a desert of dryness, she put the cup down on the table and gave a little whine as the doctor gently touched her bruised temple.

“You're lucky to be alive, miss. And your recovery was fast, so if you want, we can discharge you in a few hours.”

A smile immediately broke out on Jeanne's face and she began to aggressively nod, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“I'm going to prescribe a burn cream for your hand that should numb the pain and help it heal smoothly, but other than that, you'll be free to go.” The doctor left after that and with Jeanne's happy smile, it was soon replaced by a look of disdain.

“Oh yeah... my house went up in flames.” Voyd looked at her like her heart had just been ripped from her chest. Jeanne has nowhere to go now.

“D-Don't you have any friends you could stay with?”

“No. I... Don't have many friends who would do that... I think... I don't... Ugh, damn it.”

A sudden feeling rushed over Voyd and all of her insides screamed that she could either follow what her heart was saying or listen to the small rational voice in her brain.

“Wait... I have an idea...”

 


	3. Welcome Home

**Time: 14:37. Location: 1994 Toyota Camry.**

Jeanne sat in the front of the old Toyota, playing with her fingers and giving nervous sighs as they passed by every familiar landmark in existence to Metroville. Who's car was she in right now, by chance?

Well, it was none other than Voyd's car. The masked woman's grip on the steering wheel was nearly a death grip, her knuckles probably turning white under her gloves. Thinking back on this decision, it was incredibly reckless of her to bring a total stranger into her home.

But they drove in total silence, which Jeanne wasn't exactly comfortable with.

“Where exactly are we going?”

Voyd cleared her throat a little and rubbed at her cheek with her left hand. “My apartment. It's in the city, close to my school.”

A little smile graced Jeanne's lips as she looked out the window and admired the city that they entered into, her eyes sparkling slightly as she did. The sun was high up in the sky right now and as the time went on, the crisp autumn air got a little more chilly and crisp in her scent, her eyes sliding closed as the rolled down window let the cool breeze into the car and her hair ruffled in the wind.

As it whipped at her face slightly, Voyd briefly took her eyes off of the road to look at her, and her breath hitched in her throat as she saw how her blonde hair shined in the light, even if it was slightly greasy and frizzy, she still looked quite beautiful.

But her eyes immediately went back to the road as they slowly came to a stop at the light. Jeanne leaned on the door and hummed happily to a tune playing in her head.

After a few more left turns, the car came to a slow halt in front of a pretty nice apartment complex.

“I'm on the second floor. Ready to go?” Voyd opened up her driver's side door.

Jeanne immediately responded by opening up her own door and stepping outside, stretching her back and looking up at the pretty complex in front of her, made out of light stone and each level had a balcony, not a fire escape.

Voyd did a spin around Jeanne as she had a bag slung over her shoulder, her hair whipping into her face as she walked backwards towards the front door.

“Come on, let's go!” She walked backwards up the stairs without even glancing at the steps and Jeanne smiled, following her up the stairs and towards the front door. Voyd pulled it open and held it for Jeanne who stepped inside, her worn out sneakers scuffing the shiny marble floor underneath her.

The lobby was completely empty at the moment, which Voyd was pretty happy about. She didn't really want the concierge knowing that she was a superhero that fought alongside the greatest of the greatest.

As they entered into the elevator, Voyd pressed the button with a shiny black 2 on it and it quickly brought them both up to the second floor. Voyd stepped out first and pulled a keycard from her bag and pressed it against the lock on the door. A clicking sound could be heard and she carefully pushed the door open.

Jeanne stepped inside the apartment that smelled of ink, lavender, and rich coffee. The lights were brighter than they were in her apartment and the curtains were rainbow colored, which painted the white walls with various colors that were very aesthetically pleasing. On the kitchen table were several opened notebooks and papers along with a t shirt, a piece of cardboard inside of it and it shined a little, showing that the art on the front was homemade and fresh. In deep red ink was something that Jeanne couldn't help but find cute. Two joined Venus Symbols that wound together, which was the symbol of the Lesbians.

On the walls were various posters from different bands that she's never heard of and several awards in shiny golden plaques. And what she found the most pretty was the Dream Catcher that was woven in the shape of a peace sign and the feathers draped from the tapestry like design were all the colors of the rainbow.

Voyd placed the bag down on the couch in the living room which was covered with what looked like a handmade quilt of baby foxes, bunnies, and raccoons. It looked like a baby blanket but large enough for a teenager to curl up in comfortably.

Voyd took notice of how Jeanne stood there awkwardly and then looked over to the hallway.

“Hey, um... not to be rude but you look like... You could use a shower?” She stuttered a little and Jeanne immediately began to nod at the idea of finally getting clean.

Without a word, Voyd jumped up and went into a room and came back with a large deep green towel and handed it to her carefully. Jeanne gripped the soft towel in her hands and offered the super a very happy smile and she took an educated guess on where the bathroom was. When she stepped inside and flipped on the switch, she saw a dirty pair of jeans on the floor near a laundry basket that didn't quite make it inside. On the wall next to the sink was a night light in the shape of a cloud that was switched off.

Jeanne laid her towel down on top of the toilet seat and pulled back the teal shower curtain, twisting the knobs in various directions until the water was at a good temperature and she quickly stripped out of the clothes she wore and jumped inside, attempting to keep her hand away from the water as to not injure it any further or cause herself pain.

She used her left hand to wash her hair with the peppermint scented shampoo and conditioner and a generic soap bar for her skin. Once her hair was clean and soft, finally, she rubbed the bar of soap up and down her skin and worked it into a lather as best as she could with one hand and quickly, the soap washed down her skin, the water becoming murky black with the ashes from the fire.

A sigh of relief rumbled from her chest and she leaned back, standing in the water for a little longer and not wanting to leave the comfort of the spray on her skin. While relaxing, Jeanne took a few moments to reflect on her situation.

As of now, Jeanne has no permanent home, her car is in impound, her parents want nothing to do with her, she has no possessions besides one lonely photograph, and is currently taking a shower in a Superhero's apartment.

And the superhero in question was in the process of removing the suit that she wore when they met. Once the leotard was off, Voyd rubbed at her tensed skin and pulled off the boots on her feet, resting them next to her closet as she folded up the suit and placed it in a box at the bottom of her closet.

As soon as the mask was off of her face and put down on the dresser across the room, she wasn't Voyd any longer. She was back to being Karen, an ordinary college student with funky teal hair. She reached for the package of wipes on her desk and removed the magenta lipstick quickly.

After a few seconds of taking notice of herself in the mirror, she remembered that Jeanne would definitely need a change of clothes and she should get dressed herself.

Karen removed her undergarments and tossed them into the laundry basket at the corner of her room and replaced them with a pair of simple black panties and a matching sports bra, tugging a tank top over her head and pulling on a pair of baggy teal sweatpants. After a few minutes of thinking, she decided to lend Jeanne her red plaid pajama pants and a matching black long sleeved shirt and white ultra padding socks. It was then that a bright blush sparked across her cheeks and she realized that Jeanne would need to borrow her underwear as well.

Karen trekked down the hallway towards the bathroom door and slowly opened it up and without looking through the door, she laid the clothes at the foot of the door and closed it quickly, her knees shaking a little as she moved from the bathroom, sitting down on the couch and picking up the dark tan acoustic guitar resting on the glass door of the balcony. Karen twisted the tuning pegs with her fingertips and picked at the chord until it was at the right tune she wanted and strummed at the strings experimentally and reached for the pick that rested on the coffee table.

Her fingers moved over the frets like it was second nature and played a familiar song, humming softly as she attempted to kill time.

After a few minutes of playing the guitar, she heard the water stop and a high pitched squeak from the one in the bathroom. Karen was gonna jump up to find out what was wrong but decided against it because a few seconds later, she heard the door open and out walked a very clean Jeanne with the towel wrapped around her head and her hair inside of it, the clothes hugging to her body tightly. She was clearly not the same size as Karen was but they fit her so nicely that Karen could say goodbye to those clothes.

“Thank you so much! These are extremely comfy,” Jeanne rubbed at her clothed arms and then took notice of Karen's outfit and blushed faintly.

“Out of your costume, I see... I don't suppose... I could know your real name?”

The girl gave a little smile and rested the guitar back to where it was and straightened upwards. Without a second to spare, she held out her hand for Jeanne.

“My name is Karen. Last name...? Uh, best not to say. I'd like to keep a small amount of anonymity?”

Jeanne decided that was fair. Karen has gone above and beyond for someone she doesn't even know and it was quite heartwarming knowing that someone as important as her would sacrifice her own space for Jeanne.

Jeanne's thoughts were suddenly cut short when she heard a high pitched beeping sound from the other room and Karen immediately stood up.

“Sorry, I almost forgot something. You can sit down, I mean, this is technically your place too now, right?” She showed Jeanne her white teeth nervously again before rushing to the fridge and removing a paper bag that was labeled with a giant black R on the front written in sharpie. She trekked down the other hallway to the room on the end and the beeping silenced.

“Aw, did you miss me Fluffy? It's dinner time, isn't it?” Jeanne couldn't help her curiosity and began to follow Karen to the room.

Inside of the room was a huge recording studio, complete with soundproof foam, a high tech computer with 2 monitors, and a large drumset in the middle that was the same colors of her hair. But what made Karen very interested was the giant tank on the far side of the room that had a large heat lamp overtop of it and from the glass, she could make out a long spotted tail; actually, that's all it was. It was a huge tail-- Karen owns a snake!

Jeanne stepped into the room and looked over Karen's shoulder as she pushed the lid off the tank carefully and reached for a pair of tongs underneath it and opened up the paper bag, removing a large dead rat from inside of it and holding it out for the adorable Hog-Nosed snake inside of the tank. It flicked it's tongue a little before it snapped at the dead rodent and curled around it immediately, preparing itself for a large meal. Karen smiled and slowly pulled the lid back but not before refilling the large water dish inside of the tank carefully and moving the heat lamp in a perfect position so the snake could get a full blast of the comfortable heat but could also relax in the shade of the little tunnel in the tank.

“There ya go, Fluffy...” There was a comforting moment of silence as Karen observed her pet carefully. But when she turned around, she wasn't expecting Jeanne to be standing there watching her and let out a shriek of surprise, her hands going to her chest and heaving a sigh of stress.

The scream made Jeanne jump backwards and she visibly flinched. “I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you... I just... Wanted to know who Fluffy was... He's adorable!”

“Y-You like snakes? That's... unusual...” Karen pressed her lips together in a line and adjusted the front of her shirt a little.

“I used to have a pet bearded dragon, actually. I find reptiles to be the best animal companions... They don't get fur everywhere.” Jeanne said with a nervous giggle as she gently rubbed at her uninjured wrist, watching the snake consume it's meal but then shivered a little at the barbaric scene, even if the rat was already dead.

So she turned her attention back towards Karen who gave a crooked grin of happiness before stepping towards the door, turning off the light to the room so the heat lamp was the only thing that illuminated the room.

That was her signal to turn around and Jeanne did exactly that, stepping out of the room quickly and out of Karen's way. Karen stepped passed Jeanne and headed for the kitchen, looking at the shirt on the table and blushing deeply, knowing Jeanne saw that and she just left it out in the open...

“Hey Voy- I mean, Karen,” Jeanne corrected herself, sporting an embarrassed smile. “Can I use your phone? I need to call a few people... Just to let them know what's happening.”

“Oh, yeah, sure thing!” Karen grabbed the phone from the reciever and handed it to Jeanne who immediately began to dial numbers into the pad and awkward elevator music could be heard from the other line before a high pitched voice was heard on the other line.

“Hey Yaz, it's Jeanne... I know, you probably heard, huh? Yeah, apartment's no more. But I'm staying with a friend until we can figure out a permanent solution and- Hey, I do too have friends!”

Karen attempted to stifle a giggle from her throat and covered her mouth a little as she couldn't hide her grin at the silly situation.

“Look, I'm just saying that I may need a little time to figure things out... I'm not exactly within walking distance from work anymore... Yeah I know, I'm trying to get my car out of impound, don't worry. I just need a few more days to work things through, okay? Fix my schedule for next week? Off all this week? Perfect! Thank you, Yaz. I'll see you soon, okay? Bye bye.”

Jeanne hung up the phone and gripped it in her hands a little harshly that the plastic made a small crackling noise in protest so she immediately stopped herself and looked at Karen with a nervous giggle.

“Heh... Okay, next call.” She attempted to run from the awkward situation and punched in a few new numbers and chatted away with whoever was on the other line.

Karen began to busy herself by trying to fix up the look of her apartment. An empty Chinese take out box and several empty cans of diet Coke littered the surface, not to mention the dirty dishes she hasn't taken care of in three days.

It wasn't until she heard Jeanne talking in a different language that she stopped freaking out about the mess and looked over to see Jeanne leaning against the island in the kitchen and speaking in... French?

“ _Je sais que vous avez dit que c’était une ville dangereuse... Non, je ne vais pas la maison!_ ”

Karen couldn't understand what was being said but it sure sounded aggressive. The girl chattered away in the other language before a very angry “ _Au Revoir!”_ Could be heard and Karen flinched as Jeanne put down the phone a little too harshly, making the small table with the receiver shake slightly.

“Uh... Bad talk?”

“You have no idea. _Fils de pute,_ why must my mother control every aspect of my very existence... Oh, whatever. She's in _Avignon_ and I'm here.” A haphazard shrug rolled off Jeanne's shoulders and she let out a little sigh of frustration.

In all honesty, Karen didn't know what to do... This was quite awkward, to be honest. Here is a stranger who she has never met until last night, standing in her house, wearing her clothes, and cursing in French. Sounds insane, doesn't it?

But a thought crossed Karen's mind and she immediately decided to follow her instincts on this one because it would benefit them both.

“I have an idea! Let's order something to eat. You have to be hungry, right?” Karen lifted up the phone from the receiver again and started typing in a number before looking back at Jeanne to ask her something.

“How do you feel about Italian?”

“Oh my gosh, Italian sounds so good right now!”

 


	4. Inner Demons

**Time: 16:11. Location: Karen's Apartment.**

The coffee table was now completely spotless, thanks to dedication from Jeanne and Karen working together to clean off the space for the night. They both set giant plates of a large amount of two different kinds of pasta and steaming bread sticks on a different plate. Karen chose a diet Coke, as usual, to drink while Jeanne stuck with water to attempt to hydrate herself from being asleep for so long.

Karen flipped on the television across the room and switched the channel to her favorite show, the familiar theme song of the Star Trek series playing. Jeanne was honestly curious, having never heard of this show before but was immediately intrigued with the futuristic setting and the insane amount of character details they managed to achieve through a simple screen.

Every so often, Jeanne would point out a story element that she didn't understand and Karen would give a detailed explanation on what was going on and the amount of excitement that Karen radiated from describing simple story lines, it made Jeanne smile so big that she thought her cheeks might rip.

Jeanne dipped her bread stick into the dark marinara sauce and made a dramatic growling noise as she ripped it apart with her teeth, staring at the TV like it was the last time she would watch anything on it.

Karen tried not to stare as she ate because, come on, that's just weird. But it was also really cute how fascinated Jeanne seemed to be in the show in front of her and Karen has never had anybody to share it with. But it looked like that was all about to change with Jeanne now in her life.

Karen leaned back and crossed her legs underneath her body and gripped the cold can of Diet Coke in her hand, sipping from it casually as Jeanne reached for a napkin, wiping sauce from her face and the tip of her nose.

“How'd you find this kind of take-out? It's awesome!” Jeanne remarked as she barely looked up from the food and show.

“W-Well, when you have the kind of friends I have, they show you around and tell you where to eat and where not to eat... It's good to have connections sometimes-- especially for the small stuff.”

Jeanne nodded in agreement, but was unable to relate. Being a friendless art major, she mainly eats whatever she has on hand and deals with the consequences later.

When the episode came to a close, Jeanne looked down and saw that her bandages were turning a faint shade of red.

“Oh, I think... I should change these now. I'll be right back,” Jeanne stood up slowly and took the bag into the bathroom, unwrapping her hand and flinching a little at the sting in it. But was careful to not hurt herself even further as she left it exposed for a bit so the burns could breathe and then carefully took out the tube of burn cream, gently rubbing it on the back of her hand and she let out a high pitched squeal of pain.

Karen tried her very best to stay away from the bathroom-- just let her handle it. But damn it, something was telling her that Jeanne needed help and she couldn't stop herself from running to the bathroom and kneeling down in front of her.

“Hey, you're gonna hurt yourself even more... L-Let me help,” She carefully took Jeanne's arm in her hands and took the burn cream from her. With a gentle touch, she massaged the cream into the burns, Jeanne only slightly flinching at the pain but overall, remaining totally still at this.

After the burns were completely covered in the white salve, Karen took the fresh roll of bandages from the bag and began to wind it around her wrist, palm, and fingers.

Jeanne blushed a little as Karen worked over her injury meticulously, only focusing on the task in front of her and blocking out anything else. Her deep teal eyes sparkled in the light of the bathroom as she knitted her eyebrows together and tried to bandage the wound while causing the least amount of pain possible.

It was a few minutes before Karen finally snapped out of her near hypnotic state and looked up at Jeanne, smiling shyly. “Heh... Is that better?”

“Loads. Thank you.” Jeanne offered her a bright smile which Karen immediately returned.

The rest of the night was spent in pleasant conversations. Karen told Jeanne about her dreams of one day being recognized as a true superhero and not just a “Wannabe-Super” as Winston Deavor put it. Jeanne told Karen about her dream to become a famous photographer for Supers all over the world and bring their lives to art galleries in every big city there is.

Karen thought her aspirations were much more practical than her own but now that she's friends with the famous Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, those dreams may just come true after all.

The plates were soon cleaned off of the collection of different kinds of pasta and Jeanne sat back, wiping at her lips with the napkin and smiling happily at the feeling of her stomach finally being filled. As the sun began to set, her thoughts wandered to the contest that she couldn't have entered, even if she wanted to, and her heart sank a little.

Karen didn't notice her mile long stare, her eyes practically burning holes into the wall behind the TV. The teal-haired girl was too invested in her show to notice the way Jeanne was nervously and depressingly playing with the hem of her shirt.

It wasn't until the credits for the show rolled over that Karen looked away and noticed how uncomfortable Jeanne looked and gently rested a hand on her shoulder, making her jump slightly.

“Hey... Maybe we should both get some sleep? You've had a long day...” It was an order, not a question. Jeanne wasn't about to argue with a good night's sleep in a place as comfortable as this. Jeanne nodded and rubbed her eyes with her left hand.

Without a second thought, Karen jumped up and began walking to her room but noticed Jeanne wasn't following and got concerned.

“Hey, are you coming?”

Jeanne was genuinely confused with this. “No..? I thought I was going to sleep here--”

“Mm-mm, come on. You're sleeping in my bed tonight. I'll take the couch, you deserve it.” Karen shook her head in a stubborn, adorable way and Jeanne blushed at the sudden demand and she stood up, following the woman to her bedroom.

Karen pushed the door open and on her walls were several different superhero posters all around along with band posters that Jeanne didn't know who they were. What stood out the most was the large Elastigirl poster on her closet door with a few red hearts drawn on it in sharpie, which Jeanne thought was quite adorable; even a superhero has a superhero crush.

Karen pulled back the blankets on the large queen sized mattress and nervously gestured to the bed for Jeanne.

“H-Here you go, Jeanne. I hope you're comfortable for the night... If there's anything you need, just wake me up, okay?” Jeanne nodded a little and without hesitation, jumped forward and hugged Karen as tight as possible without hurting her and she squeaked in surprise, her face turning bright pink as she slowly hugged back, pressing her face into the blonde hair on her shoulder, smelling her shampoo on her locks and a little shiver coursed down her spine.

Jeanne took her spot on the large bed and gently ran her fingers over the fabric of the sheets and burrowed under the soft, heavy blankets. Karen took one of the blankets and pillows from her closet and made her way to the couch, setting up the large sofa for a somewhat decent night sleep.

She laid the pillow down on the arm of the couch and flopped down, curling up with the blanket around her body and shivering a little at the cool feel of the suede couch under her skin. It was at that moment that she took a few minutes to reflect on what she was doing...

Karen, Voyd, let a complete stranger into her house and let her stay with her for nothing, other than she was too good of a person. But darn it, the heartbreaking look on Jeanne's face when she said she had nowhere to go, it reminded her of when she begged Elastigirl to teach her how to be as super as her.

As she thought about what lay ahead tomorrow, the soft light of the moon and the noises of the streets sent her into a deep sleep as her hands twitched a little and she turned to her left side, curling up a little under the large, heavy blanket.

Karen pushed her face into the covering of her pillowcase and breathed in deeply, her eyes twitching slightly behind her eyelids as a dream burrowed into her subconscious and it suddenly felt like she was falling down into a dark abyss...

* * *

 

_Darkness... Was all she could see. But in the distance, she heard a voice... A sweet, familiar voice that felt like the sun on her skin. It was the voice of her hero, Elastigirl._

“ _Voyd...” She immediately ran towards the voice and attempted to find the end of the darkness but it seemed to go on forever. As her arms flailed pathetically at the deep black, she came to a screeching halt as the voice echoed again, this time, closer._

“ _Voyd... Over here...” Karen whirled around and saw the faint glow of a red super suit and started running for it as fast as she could, willing to do anything to escape the darkness. But as soon as she seemed to get closer, Elastigirl was gone, like a ghost or shadow._

_Karen spun in circles over and over again, hoping to find some sort of semblance as to where she was and why she was alone. Maybe Elastigirl could tell her what was going on? But why couldn't she find her?_

“ _Voyd...” Karen stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned on her heel to see Elastigirl standing there, a bright smile on her face and her whole demeanor radiating pride. Karen breathed a sigh of relief and ran towards her, holding out her arms and jumping forward to hug the woman she's idolized her whole life but immediately fell through her like she was nothing more than a cloud of dust._

_Karen stumbled a little and turned around to see Elastigirl slowly turning around, the look of pride now replaced with one of shame, disappointment, and... Anger._

“ _I thought I could count on you, Voyd...” Her words carried like an iron sword hanging over Karen's head. “I thought you wanted me to succeed... Wanted us to succeed!”_

“ _I-I do!” Karen spoke, a stutter in her voice as she began to shake with fear as Elastigirl approached her, her hands curled into fists, and her eyes narrowing down at her._

“ _You betrayed us. Betrayed me...” Karen's heart broke as she listened to the twisted words of her role model and backed away slowly, holding up her hands and trembling with fear._

_Just as she backed away, her foot slid out from underneath her and she went down to the ground with a loud thunk, her head now spinning in pain._

“ _You said you wanted to be Super...” Karen blinked slowly as she turned to see Winston Deavor standing in the darkness, a tall glass of scotch in his hands and his eyes practically melting the flesh off her bones. “But all I see is a sad, pathetic, Wannabe-Super.”_

“ _Do you know how easy it was..?” Karen shrieked in shock and fell backwards on her bum and scooted away from the voice that was Evelyn Deavor, her heart snapping in two as she remembered the terrible things she did while under her control._

“ _'I'd do anything to meet Elastigirl! Anything at all!' Oh, it was so easy to take control of your pitiful mind...” Karen blinked over and over again as the green hypnotic lights of the mind control goggles flashed all around her, taunting her with her past sins and mistakes. Karen did the only thing she could-- cover her eyes and tell herself it wasn't real._

“ _You couldn't even save me!” A shriek of a small girl rang in her ears and she continued to cry, refusing to look up to face the tiny child that she couldn't protect all those years ago._

“ _Pathetic...” It was that voice that made Karen's blood run cold. Her shaking intensified and she opened her eyes, hiccuping slightly as her shaking legs lifted her up into the air and she turned to see the faces of her familiar mother and father, scowling down at her in disapproval and disgust._

“ _No matter what you do, or where you go... You will never be Karen...” Her mother's words echoed in her subconscious and she felt her stomach drop at an alarming rate, her knees going weak once again as her shins came in contact with the black floor, staring back into the faces of her disappointed parents._

“ _You will always be... Kolton.” The name was like a stab to the heart. Like someone lit a knife on fire, plunged it directly into Karen's chest, and began to twist the blade. Over, and over, and over again. With every passing second, it hurt a little more._

“ _Kolton... Kolton... Kolton...” Her inner demons began to chant angrily, creeping towards her with the same hypno-tech that had been used on her, the lights inside of the goggles flickering to show their true eyes for a second before reverting back to the bright green that held her captive under the ScreenSlaver's command._

“ _N..No... NO!”_

* * *

 

Karen jolted forward off of the couch she was still laying on, her clothes soaked with sweat and her hair a complete mess, sticking up in every other direction. Her eyes were wide and wild looking as she placed her hands over her face and tried to resist the feelings inside of her that was screaming to cry until she couldn't breathe and stay there until the sun came up.

Which is sort of what she did. Karen spent the rest of her night in her dining room, the lights turned on overhead as she used her powers to keep herself slightly amused, sending her small stuffed teddy bear through one portal after another. The time seemed to drone on forever and ever but after a nightmare like that, she can't go back to...to...

Before Karen could realize, she had rested her head on the table and had slowly drifted off into a dreamless sleep, not nearly prepared for the back ache she's going to have tomorrow morning.

  
  


 

 


End file.
